Gas Spring Overtravel Pressure Relief Collar
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gas springs in forming equipment can experience overtravel, leading to undesirable overpressure conditions due to the piston rod extending beyond its design-intent retracted position, causing pressurized gas to escape and resulting in undesirable conditions.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an overtravel pressure relief collar that is slidably movable around the piston rod, which displaces the piston rod seal during overtravel conditions, allowing pressurized gas to escape from the pressure chamber, thereby preventing overpressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the piston rod is allowed to travel beyond its design-intent retracted position, then the gas spring can accommodate larger variations in travel distance, but this results in overpressure conditions and undesirable operational conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The overtravel pressure relief collar is pre-positioned to engage with the piston rod seal at the predetermined overtravel position. When the piston rod exceeds its design-intent retracted position, the collar automatically displaces the seal to create an escape path for pressurized gas, preventing overpressure conditions before they can cause harm.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potentially harmful overtravel condition into a beneficial pressure relief mechanism. By allowing the piston rod to overtravel and automatically triggering the pressure relief collar, the system uses the excess motion to activate a safety mechanism that vents pressurized gas, transforming a harmful condition into a protective function.
2Reliability
If a pressure relief mechanism is added to prevent overpressure, then safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The overtravel pressure relief collar combines multiple functions into a single component: it serves as both a guide for the piston rod and a pressure relief mechanism. The collar's interaction with the piston rod seal integrates the pressure relief function into the existing structural elements, avoiding the need for separate complex safety systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure relief mechanism is self-activating and requires no external control systems. When the piston rod overtravels, the collar automatically displaces the seal and creates an escape path for pressurized gas. The system uses its own operational motion to trigger the safety mechanism, eliminating the need for sensors, valves, or external control equipment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively manages overtravel by allowing pressurized gas to escape, preventing overpressure and ensuring safe operation of gas springs in forming equipment.
Implementation Method 1
The collar has an inner end contacting the piston rod seal and configured so that generally during an overtravel condition of the piston rod, axial movement of the collar toward the closed end of the casing displaces at least part of the seal from the piston rod to provide a path for escape of a gas under pressure from the pressure chamber to the exterior of the gas spring
Data Source
AI summary
A gas spring with a casing with an axially extending side wall, an open end and a closed end wall spaced from the open end and a pressure chamber provided in part by the walls to receive a gas therein under pressure and a piston rod slidably received in a housing received in the casing and movable between extended and retracted positions. A pressure relief collar slidably carried around the piston rod and normally projecting axially outwardly of the casing can be displaced axially inwardly during an overtravel condition of the piston rod to displace a portion of a piston rod seal to open an overpressure relief path to allow pressurized gas in the pressure chamber to escape to the outside of the gas spring.